Innovation directory 4th edition

manufacturing process
Efficient Method for Producing High
Quality Timber from Oil Palm Wood
TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION
This technology is a method to use oil palm wood (OPW) to produce
high performance ‘compreg’ OPW.
TECHNOLOGY FEATURES
This technology allows production of high quality wood with simple
processing steps. The processing steps are ten times much faster than
the existing steps. It allows production of high quality wood from
oil palm wastes. This technique allows production higher quality of
‘compreg’ wood at the cheaper cost.
ADVANTAGES
• Simple processing steps
• Cheaper
• Produces high quality of ‘compreg’ wood
INDUSTRY OVERVIEW
Prospect: Palm Oil Industry, Furniture Industry
Palm wood is derived from oil palm trunks. The trunks are obtained
from oil palms when they are felled for replanting. This takes place at
the end of the life cycle of the oil palms when they are felled 25-30
years. Unlike other wood such as rubberwood or cengal, palm wood
density can vary significantly and it ranges from 150 to 700kg per
cubic metre (kg/cu.m). The challenging part is getting a consistent
quality as well as the required quality from these oil palm trunks. Palm
wood are exported to the European market, especially in Germany,
Russia and Britain, and also Australia, China, India, Kazakhstan
and South Africa. As such, the use of palm wood supports the
conservation of forests in Malaysia and the rest of the world. Huge
oil palm wood (OPW) is around us, but the quality is very low. An
efficient 6-step processing method has been patented for producing
high-performance ‘compreg’ OPW. The method is simple, effective,
and more attractive to industries. In comparison with the existing
methods, this processing is easier and faster with simple equipment.
The cost is also 8 to 10 times cheaper, and the quality is comparable
to the existing methods. This method can produce high quality wood
replacement material of the palm rest. The product is seen to be
viable for two main owners of palm oil plantations in Malaysia which
are Sime Darby, and Felda Global Ventures Holdings (FGV), and other
149 palm oil-based SMEs in Malaysia. Other possible buyers of the
patent would be the 2,400 furniture companies in Malaysia that might
use palm wood.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Edi Suhaimi Bakar
Faculty of Forestry
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